A Nightcrawler's Tale
by Tsurugi Ichisuke
Summary: [Loose AU][Lore-based] A biography of Slark the Nightcrawler, explained with more details, including the relationship between him and other Slithereen. AN UNOFFICIAL HERO LORE. Warning: T rated for swearwords and character(s) death!
1. Chapter 1: Slithice and Slark

**My intention of making this story because the heroes' background stories are far too short compared to the champions from League of Legends. For role-playing purposes (Yes, I'm a role-player for years in Twitter. Hail Furry Fandom!), I'm doing a background story, loosely based on Slark's lore, so the Deep Ones is true, but its description is just made up. I'm planning to do several chapters, and this is the first one. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: the following names mentioned (no matter they are hero names or places) are belonged to Valve's Dota 2 created by IceFrog. And the story here is not the official background story of a fish named Slark. Read with cautious!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Slithice and Slark**

For hundred years, the Slithereen were living peacefully under the Pacific Ocean, and they named the place as the Deep Ones due to geographical location, with a few thousand kilometres below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. To this date, their presence was unknown and undetected by the human beings above the sea surface because human didn't explore the Deep Ones yet, without sufficient technologies. In fact, a Slithereen much resembles a mermaid that appears in children storybook: a few parts of a Slithereen resemble human body parts while retaining the characteristics of a fish, due to the fact that he or she is living underwater. They have two separate respiratory systems, and they will choose to breathe by either gills or lungs, depending on their surroundings, justifying the fact that they are amphibians.

For hundred years since the first two Slithereen were created by Poseidon, the God of Sea, their body structures were mutated by their survival needs. Most female Slithereen are basically mermaids while most male Slithereen are fish with a pair of extra hand and a separate respiratory system, borrowed from human and mammals on land. The Slithereen could be made up of different species like sharks and swordfishes, as long as they have hands and the extra respiratory system. A marine mammal like dolphin could be a Slithereen too if he or she could grow gills out of nowhere.

The Deep Ones, dubbed by the Slithereen due to geographical reasons, is basically a huge fortress, surrounded by stone walls which are 20 yards tall and, in terms of perimeter, a thousand miles long. The area was roofed by endless of stainless steels and a portion of concretes which separated the Deep Ones from the unknown world outside. Only small Slithereen could swim through the roof, while the larger Slithereen had to get through the only gate located at the north east region if they wanted to communicate with the outer world. The walls were guarded by honoured Slithereen, who were simply dubbed as Slithereen Guards. The Slithereen Guards took shift every day to make sure the residents were safe from attacks. And there is an untold secret to the residents: there was a large amount of treasures hidden beneath the floor of the Deep Ones: it's over once enemies invaded and destroyed the place.

Due to lack of lights even in daytime, bioluminescent lights were used to light up the Deep Ones. Some Slithereen had one in front of their forehead, as their portable light source. You could see corals and seaweeds on the sea floor within the Deep Ones, as corals made the underwater city beautiful while seaweeds are oxygen supplier for the residents of the Deep Ones. Most building were made up of rocks, and the remaining ones were basically caves. The Slithereen who lived in the caves were considered as the "Chosen Ones" because they would be elected as the Slithereen Guards, and there was no exception for their children when they grow up.

Slithice was one of the Deep Ones residents, who lived in one of the caves.

Slithice was still a young girl before she would be elected to be one of the Slithereen Guards. The mermaid used to live alone as her parents were on duty as the Slithereen Guards. When she was a kid, she was taught by her parents about every skills related to living skills and survival skills, including hunting, culinary skills and housekeeping. She understood and memorized the skills since then despite she was not an adult yet, as her parents reminded her that they wouldn't be home anytime soon. Her hobby is singing, and the Naga Siren would spend hours practising her vocal so she would impress the male Slithereen when she reached her mature age. Every day, she would swim around in her house to clean the house, and sometimes she would explore outside her house to search for fresh food.

Her routine would repeat every day, but one fine day, that was not the case anymore.

That day, she was having her lunch when she heard someone knocking the door of her cavern house. The knock only lasted for 3 seconds.

Slithice felt something unusual behind the door. She swam gently and reached the door. When the door was opened, she was surprised as a giant clam was left in front of the door. There was a message lettered on the clam which reads: _Please take care of him. He's different from any Slithereen you knew. So sorry but he was a burden for us._ Slithice gently opened the clam and to her surprise, there was a fish sleeping inside. For the first time in her life, she noticed the young fish growing limbs: apart from two hands which were no stranger to any Slithereen, the young fish has two legs as well.

"Gosh," the mermaid gasped, before carefully carrying the small fish into her hands. The fish was awoken upon that, and his yellow eyes were looking at her. The small fish attempted to talk by opening his little sharp jaws, but no sound was made, his limbs were moving instead, like how a foetus moves inside a pregnant female mammal's body.

"Alright, you little, I'll take care of you from now on," Slithice decided at this point as she knew her parents would took forever to reach home, and the poor little Slithereen was abandoned in a shocking fashion. Using the clam provided as the bed for the little Slithereen, Slithice was making a nice home for him.

The little fish waved his upper limbs; in fact, he was happy as he was given a home.

Days passed by, and with every culinary and baby-sitting knowledges she learnt from her parents before, Slithice took the role as the mother of the little Slithereen temporarily. Slowly, the little Slithereen started to walk, fully utilizing both feet of his, and he managed to spit out some vocals like "Ah" and "Oh". Despite that, Slithice was still thinking how to name this walking fish, and the only clue she noticed was about the fish: apparently the little fish was a descendant of a shark, judging from the cyan scales. Still, the Naga Siren knew that he is a truly Slithereen as he has the main characteristics of a Slithereen: hands, nose (as a part of lung respiratory system) and gills.

"What shall I name you then, you little shark?" she asked, while teaching him to utilize his feet for swimming one fine day. The fish was still wobbling while trying to swim, despite his best effort, but Slithice was positive that he would swim gracefully and walk like no other Slithereen one day.

"Li… ttle… Sl… ark…?" the fish started to talk, and those were the first few words he could say. As a young fish, he said the word "shark" with the letter L replacing H by accident. Slithice tried to gather the information what he was trying to say and eventually she knew the answer was "Little Slark".

"Hey, your name is Slark. You'll love the name," said Slithice, holding the little fish.

"Sl… ark… Slark! Slark!" the little fish was delighted, waving his upper limbs randomly.

And this is how Slark got his name.


	2. Chapter 2: A Stranger to Deep Ones

**Alright folks, I sent a request regards of additions of Dota 2 characters, see if the request is approved. Meanwhile, the new chapter is added! Enjoy! (Disclaimer stated in chapter 1, and again: READ AT YOUR OWN RISK)**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: A Stranger to Deep Ones**

With addition of Slark in her life, Slithice was no longer feeling lonely anymore. From a little fish to a well grown teenager, Slark had been well fed and well taught by Slithice, and Slithice was treating Slark as her only son. Despite that, Slithice refused to be called as "mother" as she was too young to qualify as a mother. Every time when the young Slark attempted to call her that way, she would reply, "I prefer being called as Slithice."

As Slark grew up, Slithice felt less burdened because Slark was helping her doing chores, from simple tasks like cleaning furniture to more complex tasks like cooking. Too bad, there's no fire underwater, so the definition of cooking underwater is a huge difference from land. Slark would stay at home while Slithice would go outdoors to find some fresh, edible protozoa, shrimps and smaller fishes. After the meal, Slark would love to listen to the charming singing vocal of Slithice, being her first fan among the Deep Ones.

Days passed, and Slithice was now a fully-grown adult mermaid, while Slark was still a teenager with endless energy. He was excited to search some food along with Slithice but was denied by the Naga Siren. He would be replied with something related to the safety despite he didn't have a chance to explore the Deep Ones yet. One day he couldn't stand any longer and asked Slithice about it.

"Hey Slithice, why are you stopping me from playing outside?" Slark asked right after the Naga Siren returned from finding ingredients for the meal.

"I told you, the outside world is-"

"I have enough of this!" Slark then swam towards the window, "You see, how could the outside world be dangerous when the place is guarded? Look at the walls. I'm not fooled by your words anymore."

The mermaid sighed, putting the ingredients aside before swimming towards Slark. "I know you're curious about the world outside, but it's time to tell you the truth."

"Truth? Including why we're so different, but you're still keeping me as your kid? Is that abduction or-"

"That's not it," Slithice sat beside Slark, stroking his fins, "You're special among the Slithereen just because you have a pair of feet. I envy about them, but I heard a story about a mermaid who traded her voice for a pair of human legs, to live with a human she loved. I'm not sure if the story is true."

Twenty seconds of silence after Slithice spoke and followed by Slark's response. "Then?"

"What you're about to listen is about the true story. Please, don't be angry."

Slark nodded.

"You're adopted."

The Naga Siren was expecting that Slark would leave the house without saying a single word, but she was wrong. Instead, Slark was lying on the ground, laughing. "Really?" she said.

"Isn't that obvious?" he responded, and took 2 seconds to stop his laugh before continuing his words, "But Slithice, thanks for adopting me. I love your song, your meals… and you. I should marry you but please, wait for me before I'm mature enough to be your wife."

The confession made Slithice blushed. She didn't expect another response from Slark, but Slark's words made her fall in love with him. "You're really special from any Slithereen I know. Love you too." Then, she approached his cheek and kissed the said part.

"In fact, when you were left in front of my house, I was surprised about you. You're one of the very few – I mean, you're the first four-limbed Slithereen I ever seen. At the same time, I was afraid that other Slithereen would hunt you, just because you are different from others, so I choose to keep you. For years we're being together, and due to safety reasons, I disallowed your freedom. I'm very sorry."

Slark left a sigh with a shrug. "Understandable."

"One more thing: I should have taught you about the arts of self-defence." The Naga Siren pulled out a pair of blades and passed one of them to Slark, "I think you're ready. But you have to think about how to use your legs. I can't teach you about that."

"Alright," Slark nodded.

 **xXx**

Days passed as Slark learned carefully from Slithice about the art of self-defence. Slark was quite a fast learner, and in a few days' time, he was understood how to apply in certain critical situations. Slithice taught him about some life hacks as well so he could utilize them outside the Deep Ones.

One fine day, as per usual, Slithice was supposed to search for food but she was found by Slark, lying down on a coral couch. "What's the matter?" Slark asked.

"Hey Slark. I don't think I'll go hunting for food, for now." The mermaid was not feeling well.

"Slithice, I'll go and-"

"No, Slark," afraid of losing him, Slithice tried to stop him, "besides, I'll recover soon, and I'll-"

"Hey, I'm ready for this," Slark said, grabbing a random cloth to wrap it around his head, and another cloth around his waist, "I know the risk, Slithice, but I don't think I'll stay here forever."

"What do you mean?"

"From now on, you'll take some valuable rest while it's my turn to find some food. And, I'm sure you're ready to be a Slithereen Guard like your parents do, so take some time to prepare yourself."

"Alright then, be safe," Slithice sighed as she eyed Slark, swimming away from the home, "I love you, Slark!"

"Love you too!" Slark was happy to see the outside world. He would like to know what the Deep Ones looks like, perhaps it would match with the descriptions made by Slithice when he, as a kid, asked her since she used to swim outside the house more frequently than Slark.

In fact, Slithice was right about the Deep Ones: Slark was amused about the lifestyles within the Deep Ones. He took a look at the house he lived in and compared to the stone houses, and was amused when the amount of cave houses built was much less than the stone houses. Bioluminescent lights were everywhere, from being decorated as street lamps, to the main light source of certain Slithereen. The coral beds were waving according to the current, and they were appeared dancing to please the residents of the Deep Ones.

Slark was swimming towards the only gate and he was greeted by a Slithereen Guard.

"Hello there, little fish," the purple Slithereen Guard was holding a big staff, and like any other male Slithereen, he is a fish with two extra hands. "Can I have your name please?"

Slark was standing in front of him, scanning through every detail about him. The only extra clue he could find was the name tag hanging behind him, written "Guard on Duty: Slardar".

"Officer… Slardar?" he asked, without getting a response from the guard, "I assume you're Slardar then. Nice to meet you, my name is Slark."

"Slark?" Slardar said, "I didn't even remember there's a resident named- Wait a minute, are you the abandoned child?"

"Abandoned what?"

"Few years back, a pair of Slithereen sharks were swimming through the gate when I was on duty. And they say they couldn't afford to raise their baby. I read the message on the clam and let them through because they were in a hurry, and I asked them to place in front of one of the cave houses for safety concern." Slardar took a deep breath and cleared his throat, "so… you're that child in the clam, back then?"

Slark nodded.

"Your step-mother Slithice told me about it. But why are you here, then?"

"She's not feeling well. I'm helping her for groceries."

"Alright then, little shark," Slardar sighed, "I'll deal with the officers later about your residential status, I warn you to be alert of your surroundings, and your safety of course. The Deep Ones is not as peaceful and safe as you think."

"Alright, thanks Slardar!"

In the end, Slark managed to swim out of the fortress for the first time in years, and managed to get know with one of the Slithereen Guards. But, his residential status was remained unknown despite he lived in the Deep Ones for years. Is that dangerous for Slark to live in the Deep Ones without acknowledged by the officers? Only Slark, Slardar and Slithice know about it.


	3. Chapter 3: Dark Reef

**Good news: The request I sent (mentioned in previous chapter) is approved around 2 weeks later! Other than Naga Siren and Slark, I requested the addition of Monkey King, Underlord, Dark Willow and Pangolier as well, that means their tags are available as well! Well, the support team thanked me of well written request, but if time allows, I WILL eventually add every Dota 2 heroes into the characters list. Stay tuned!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Dark Reef**

It's been hours since Slark went out for the first time, and Slithice couldn't stop worrying about the young fish since he was inexperienced of contacting with the outer worlds. She hoped that the self-defence arts she taught would help Slark in dire situations. As Slithice was wandering back and forth, Slark pushed the door open with a handful of shrimps and clamps inside a plastic bag. "Sorry of keep you waiting," Slark said with a smile on his face. In response, Slithice swam towards the fish and hugged him tight. Slark was buried in between Slithice's breasts due to height difference, and Slark was waving the bag, losing control of his hand as Slithice was hugging him too tight. "Let… go… of me…" the fish moaned.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Slithice pulled herself away, "I was worried about you. Too much. Are you alright, my fish?"

"Nothing dangerous, but I managed to get some fresh food, right here," he shook the bag.

"Oh, I wonder what is the thing that holds the food you're bringing."

"Let me guess… A bag? I didn't see them before, but I found it useful."

"Probably human threw rubbish into the sea and they ended up here," the Naga Siren sighed, "Pathetic."

"Well, actually, I went outside the Deep Ones, and-"

"You what?"

"C'mon, Slithice, it was fun out there. I got to know one guy named Slardar," the fish explained, "You can ask him about my whereabouts just now. I was within his guarding radius while searching for these delicious food. Trust me, you taught me some fighting skills, and I won't get caught out there."

"Fine," Slithice shrugged with a sigh, "You're safe for now. Since this was your first exploration outside, I have no comments about it."

Slithice then grabbed the plastic bag and retrieved the shrimps and clamps. She would then deal with the fresh food by peeling the hard skins off and extracting the internal organs from the shrimps; meanwhile, Slark was prying the clamps one by one, to check if there was any edible meat, or if he was lucky enough, a valuable pearl. 30 minutes later, they ended up with processed food, and started having their meal together. The shrimps and clamp meats that Slark searched were indeed tasty, and both was having the food happily, forgetting about the dangers Slark could have encountered before.

"Alright, Slithice, I have an agreement to tell you," Slark said as both him and Slithice had finished their meal, and was responded with a nod from the Naga Siren, "What if we take turns to hunt for food? That way you'll get more training sessions while I have a chance to explore more, don't you agree with that?"

Slithice nodded, "Brilliant! But you must stay safe, promise me."

"I'll promise you," Slark vowed to her.

"So, what shall we do next? More self-defence techniques?"

"Nah, I had enough food for today: I'm barely moving at this point," Slark chuckled.

"Alright then," Slithice responded with a chuckle, "But, a light exercise will be nice after such a great meal, and why don't you-" She was interrupted with a knock on the door suddenly, and she swam towards the door and opened it. There were three Slithereen Guards – each holding a staff – standing in front of her, and their appearances were not pleasing.

"Is anything wrong?" Slark asked.

"No, nothing, it's just my parents' friends, and-"

"YES, Slithice, there's something wrong here!" one of the Slithereen Guards said in high volume, "there is an unregistered resident living here and we are here to take him away."

"Wait, let me explain about this, I told Slardar about him and-"

"Slardar? You, young lady, could still believe that old chum? Look, I checked the name list of the Deep Ones residents and there's no one – I mean – no fish named Slark. Although there's one named Sharky, the name wasn't close enough."

Slark gulped. He thought Slardar would help him, but at the same time, Slark thought Slardar ended up backfiring the fish. Did Slardar actually deal with his residential status with the officers? Or, did Slardar try to eliminate a different Slithereen from the Deep Ones? Slark was worried about where he would end up. Just then, he could feel someone dragging his fish tail, and it was revealed that the Slithereen Guards were dragging him from the cave house of the Slithice.

"Let go of me!" Slark shouted, shaking his body violently to resist the force from the guards, but unfortunately his effort went fruitless as the Slithereen Guards were well trained to prevent suspects from escape. Seeing this heart-breaking situation, Slithice couldn't do anything but started to cry instead, as the guy who vowed to marry her might not fulfil his promise anymore. Her eyes were wet, and the tears were instantly dissolved into the sea water. Realizing that his escaping effort was just a waste, the tired Slark was eventually dragged away by the Slithereen Guards.

"Any last words to your lover, little fish?" another Slithereen Guard was mocking Slark while making a pause at the front door, and right in front of Slithice.

"I promise… I'll be fine, Slithice, just wait for me…" Slark was panting due to his energy being drained because of attempting to escape, "I'll… marry you… one day… Mark my words…"

"Enough of your romance, little fish! You look ain't old enough yet to marry the girl!" the Slithereen Guard mocked again, this time followed by an evil laughter, "You better change your mind after you be in the Dark Reef!"

"Dark Reef? Wait, no!" Again, Slithice cried when the Slithereen Guards brought Slark away from her, and eventually she closed the door, weeping behind the door. She knew that Slark's fate was doomed: Dark Reef is the most infamous prison in the underwater world. Located hundred miles away from the Deep Ones, the Dark Reef prison has a very high security level as the Alcatraz Island about the sea surface, and no one in the history had successfully escaped from the deepest prison in the world.

 **xXx**

After a journey of hundred miles, the Slithereen Guards finally made their way to the Dark Reef prison, with the tired Slark still being held. Slark lifted his head up slowly and witnessed what the infamous prison looks like: the building was coated with dark colours of concrete and rusts, covered with underwater moss. The entrance of the prison was unwelcoming, with the addition of two great white shark Slithereen guarding the entrance, and the sharks could potentially consume any inmates who attempted to escape. After a simple nod among the Slithereen Guards, the entrance door was opened with squeaky, eerie sound, symbolling the entrance door was rusty but still functionable. As Slark was still being dragged inside the prison, he could see several Slithereen Guards on duty, swimming and slithering back and forth on each floor, making all possible escaping routes impossible. There were several inmates who were shaking the cell gate violently but to no avail, while others were sitting quietly on the beds, minding their own business. Slark could smell the odour that would make him vomit anytime soon, but the Slithereen Guards were not affected as they were used to this kind of unpleasant odour in the prison.

Dark Reef prison: where you were encouraged to attempt an escape because of the awful smells like some inmates' remains and other unexplainable stuffs, but death is the only way you could go.

Slark was being thrown into a cell where he ended up with a weak inmate. "Enjoy your stay, little fish!" one of the Slithereen Guards, who was dragging him from the Deep Ones a couple of hours ago, mocked the poor little fish for one more time. Impressive, the Slithereen Guards have such stamina to move and mock after a long journey, Slark was envy about them, lying down on the ground and glaring at the guards who then shut the door to seal the deal.

"Young one, are you alright?" the voice was from Slark's new inmate. Slark slowly adjusted his eyes to focus on his inmate, revealed as another shark Slithereen, who was similar to him, in terms of his anatomy and the scale skin. But, the Slithereen appeared older and his body build was slightly worse than Slark.

"I'm… I'm alright, thanks," Slark forced himself to sit up with his half-dead body, "but you… you have legs too…"

"Young one, I'm here because of these two legs, and I cannot walk now."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm really fine..." The old fish said, "Young one... I hope you won't mind listening my story... Before I could..."

"What do you mean you could?" Slark asked.

"Just listen, okay?" the old fish coughed before continuing his sentence, in response Slark nodded, allowing him to tell the story, "Back then, my honey and I was swimming around with our baby, escaping from the guards, and I dropped the baby in one of the houses, so-"

"Dad?" Slark suddenly popped out the word as he approached the inmate.

"Son?" the inmate gently touched the body of Slark – his eyes, his scales and his jaws, "Are- are you from the clam? The big, heavy clam that I left few years back? Look at you now; you're a fully grown boy now. I'm so sorry, I'm not qualified as your dad." The truth is now revealed as Slark nodded when answering the questions: Slark's inmate was once the father of that abandoned little fish. Slark's old father was in tears as he hugged his long-lost son tightly, and Slark, already tired from the journey, couldn't help but weeping as well.

"Look son, I don't have much time left," the old fish said, "I was caught because of abandoning my son and having an extra pair of feet. The evil guards killed your mom, and broke my feet before throwing me in, treating me like a garbage like how human get back fins from sharks."

"No, dad, I don't want to say-"

"I get it, son." Slark's father coughed heavily for several times, "Please, I have two wills, so listen carefully, but first… I hope you have a nice name."

"Alright dad, they call me Slark…"

"Slark… What a nice name…" the old fish let out a low chuckle while gently brushing Slark's back fins, "Reunion in prison, what an irony… One, if you can make it out, I wish you take care of yourself. Trust no one."

Slark was uneasy when he was told to trust no one. The only creature he could trust is his beloved Slithice.

"Two…" Slark's father coughed heavily again, but this time he spitted blood, "Eat me…"

"But, why dad?"

"In case if you escape from this hell, please remember that… I'm escaping with you too…" the old fish coughed again, "my organs begin to rot, so peel my skin and eat… You won't like the food served here…"

Slark was in tears while listening to his father's last will. A heart-breaking moment as the ideal reunion scene was no longer available inside Slark's head, after he was begged to eat his own father. "No, dad, I don't want to-"

"Please, son, be a good boy… Your mother suffered a lot… after you were born… because you killed your siblings inside her… You're the strongest shark I have… I love you… Slark…" As the old shark had finished his words, he gave up his last breath, leaving his helpless son inside the cell.

Again, Slark was weeping of his lost. Staring at the lifeless body of his father, Slark was scratching his head furiously and shouted as loud as he could in this devastating moment. All hopes – the promise he vowed to Slithice, the reunion with his biological family, his hope to explore beyond the Deep Ones – were lost. Kneeling in front of his father, Slark had no choice but to peel the skin, before finally ate the first piece of the shark meat from his father.

Then, a word flashed into his mind.

 **Escape.**


	4. Chapter 4: The Escape

**Chapter 4: The Escape**

As several weeks have passed, Slark was depressed because he had too much information to be processed in one go. He was jailed because he was an unregistered resident of the Deep Ones, and he had to have meals from his late father's body as per his father's last will. Carefully using his sharp claws he was keeping since childhood (and in fact, he trimmed his claws only once), he peeled his father's shark skin away as the fish thought that was the only legacy from his father.

The prisoners in Dark Reef were allowed to have some food outside their cells, but that only occurred once per day. The prisoners were heavily guarded by the Slithereen Guards although that was the only time they would get themselves free from the small spaces. The meals prepared were simple but displeasing, with a range from a couple of seaweed to a typical small edible fish. The portions were about the same for every prisoners, and that would be a huge disadvantage for Slithereen who have big, muscular builds. Still, the prisoners were allowed to talk during that one-hour meal time since they didn't have much interactions among each other at the rest of the day.

While Slark was peeling the shark skin off as perfect as he could, he could hear someone opening the cell door. He was distracted, turning his head towards the door, and he could see a familiar figure in front of him. "What are you doing here? Laughing my ass off?"

"It's meal time, rookie," the Slithereen Guard that dragged him from the Deep Ones, said with a deep and threatening voice, "Stop playing with that dead body, kid." The guard slithered towards Slark and grabbed one of his arms will a small amount of energy he could use, and lifted the fish with an ease.

"Meal time, huh?" Slark spit into the guard's face, "I have no time to meal, you filthy-"

"Filthy? I have a name and it's Flint! Get it? Now, it's meal time!" The Slithereen Guard named Flint carried him with one arm towards the prisoner canteen, and he was an instant laughing stock when the guard made him to the canteen. The other prisoners who were gathering in the said place were laughing about how weak Slark was.

"Man, look at him… A lost child?"  
"Maybe he needs a baby sitter!"  
"Nah, he was born impaired, and what's up with those feet? Could he even walk?"

Slark was uneasy about those destructive comments from the strangers who laughed at him. He told himself that the prison was a challenge, a hell, according to his late father. Just then he was dropped in between two Slithereen prisoners. One was a grey tilapia Slithereen and another was a bright blue Siamese fighting fish with basic traits of a Slithereen. Both Slithereen were muscular, although Flint appeared to beat them narrowly, in terms of their body build. Slark barely moved his body as both Slithereen took up much spaces to sit, with only a small space to spare.

"So, you're the newbie, huh?" said the tilapia.

"Who's the newbie here, Chromis?" the Siamese fighting fish replied, ignoring the fact that Slark was sitting in between them, "I didn't see- wait, is he the one who was being dragged?"

"Are you blind, Spencer?"

"My bad," Spencer the fighting fish chuckled, "Hey, I feel something odd under my arms." Spencer took a look aside downwards and realized where Slark was, "Oh, you must be the newbie then. Pathetic. The weakest fish I've seen in my life."

Slark said nothing, but he was heated up with more hate speeches into his mind. Moments later, the prisoners were served with the meal of the day – seaweed. A small serving of seaweed.

"C'mon, man," said Chromis, "Seaweed is not enough for big guys like us!"

"That's the only food we got for today, tilapia," Flint overheard the groan from Chromis and replied, "To eat or not to eat, that's your choice." The Slithereen Guard then heard a sigh from the tilapia.

"Guess I have no choice, then," without acknowledged by Slark, Chromis took a half portion of Slark's serving into his plate.

"Hey, that's mine!" Slark shouted.

"Yours? Since when it was yours?" Chromis chuckled.

"It was in my plate as first!"

"Your plate? Funny, that's on my plate now, you little fish!" Chromis laughed at the skinny fish, "And seriously, you're going to ruin my mood to have my meal, now get the fuck out of here!"

Wasting no time, Slark was lifted, again, by the muscular tilapia Slithereen and hence, he was being thrown aside. The remaining half potion of Slark's serving was eventually taken away by Spencer, which means Slark got nothing to eat for today. The weak fish was tired and hungry, sitting against a poorly furnished wall while eyeing the muscular prisoners having their meals, including his meal. Slark tried to cry but he knew his late father was watching him, so he curled himself up and avoided himself from seeing others eating. He had to distract his attention from his growling stomach so he tried to get some noises from other resources. In luck, he could overhear a conversation between the two muscular prisoners.

"Guys, I'm planning to jailbreak for one day. Who's in?" Spencer asked.

"I'm in!" Chromis replied. The other inmates replied in the same manner, and Slark knew there were ten others who said so.

"Ha, trust me, you'll die here! Jailbreaking? It's a fucking joke, mate!" Flint chuckled as he overheard the conversation before he slithered away.

"Forget about that piece of junk," Spencer said, "so, what's the plan?"

"It's easy. Next time when we have some seaweed again, we will riot. Kill everyone who stands in your way. I will give a signal once we are sitting together again."

"What's the signal, Chromis?"

Chromis turned his head around and noticed the fish, before heading back into the conversation. "Listen carefully. 'I'd wish that poor little fish could eat all of our potions.' That fish will not join us anyway."

Unfortunately, Slark heard that code and remembered instantly. While his father told him not to trust anyone, Slark thought this could be the only chance he would break out of this hell. He had enough of being treated in unfair matter.

So, the meal time was over, and he was then being dragged by another Slithereen Guard back into the cell, where he would accompany his father's remains again.

"I am not sure if I can get through this shit," he talked towards the body, "but dad, if you can lend me your skins, I'm happy to bring you out of here." Slark touched the peeled shark skin, constantly reminding him of his father's sacrifice. The fish sobbed, lying down beside the remains while cuddling the skin. Unaware of the hygiene of his cell, the parasites were taking over the pile of unwanted organs and one of them crawled onto one of Slark's fins, which resulted the fish sitting up instantly. Slark then plucked the parasite off his fin but accidentally damaged his fin in the process. The fish moaned in pain, and fortunately the damage done was not life-threatening, so Slark ignored the wound.

"Escape plan, huh?"

 **xXx**

Another two weeks passed.

Slark was the weakest prisoner among his inmates. He would get bullied by having little to none of the portions during meal time. Ruthless Slithereen Guards like Flint and thugs like Spencer and Chromis were enough to present him the darkest moment of his life. The only reliable food resource he could find was from his father's meat, but the meat was running out and the skins were the remaining he could find. Still, Slark refused to eat the skin, and he tried to extract the skin into one piece, but ended up with some stitches instead.

"As soon as I have this last piece of my father, I will no longer suffer here," he vowed to himself before swallowing the remaining small portion of the meat. Just then, he heard someone opening the cell door, so he looked at the door, and Flint was standing tall in front of him. "You again? Won't you get bored?" Slark asked.

"You are the reason why I never get bored," Flint giggled, "Now get your ass up and have you- well, technically, you won't eat anything anyway."

"I don't need to eat, anyway," Slark stood up and made his way towards the canteen, this time without being lifted by the strong Slithereen Guard. As per usual, all inmates were gathering and were ready for the meal of the day. And, as expected by every inmates, the meal of the day was the same seaweed they had weeks before. Slark, looking at the dishes and knew what would happen next, decided to play along with the inmates who were planning few weeks prior before they knew it.

"Uhm… Your name is Spencer, right?" Slark tried to get the fighting fish's attention, "I don't have any guts to eat. You can take some if you want."

Spencer didn't reply.

"Look at you, you deserved to eat more, unlike me," Slark was laughing at himself, trying to initiate the escape plan of the other Slithereen prisoners. Instead, he got Flint's attention and Flint smirked at him, hinting that fish deserved not to eat as much as other inmates do. "Hey, you! Yes, the blue one! Don't you hear him? He doesn't need much food!" Flint said as loud as he could so the Siamese fighting fish could receive the message. It was all according to the plan, according to Slark.

Just then, Chromis pushed his plate towards Slark.

"I'd wish that poor little fish could eat all of our potions."

The code. Chromis just said the code. Spencer looked at the tilapia and nodded. At the same time, Slark smirked; he initiated successfully without being suspected by other inmates.

Just then, Spencer jumped onto the table and shouted, "Attack." And at the very same time, the other inmates created the chaos by throwing the plates towards every Slithereen Guards on sight. "Red Alert! Chaos in canteen!" Flint shouted as loud as he could to draw attention from the guards, who would then swim towards the canteen and stop the riot. In the midst of chaos, Slark swam back quietly towards his prison cell. He sighed in relief as the cells was left unguarded, his cell was left open so he swam in easily to take his father's skin and wear it on his back.

"Please father, lend me your power, and your wills will be true."

Slark swam upstairs to check if there were any other rooms than cells available, and he hit the jackpot when he found a control centre, which was located at the highest point of the Dark Reef prison. The control centre was the shape of a watchtower with windows being fenced, leaving the door as the only entrance-exit option. He swam into the control centre and took a full view of this deadly prison.

"I think I won't get out of this," Slark, disguising as a shark, sighed as he could see everywhere in the prison. He scavenged the control centre and eventually found a strange-looking knife. A purple-and-white shiv. "Now I will," said Slark as he found a small pouch beside the shiv. He checked the contents inside, and he could only find a handful of black dusts. Without hesitation, Slark took both items, tying the pouch onto his loincloth, and carefully making a hole from the fenced window via the shiv. But it didn't work, and one of the Slithereen Guards was heading back towards the control centre.

"Damn," Slark aborted his escape plan from the control centre, and decided to go one-on-one against the Slithereen Guard. Applying the technique he had been taught from his beloved Slithice, Slark swam towards the guard and aimed the shiv he had towards the throat of the guard, and eventually made a cut on the said place. The guard was left bleeding as Slark cut his throat, deep enough to kill him eventually. "You never felt my shiv, did ya?" Slark taunted to his downed enemy and claimed the shiv as his, before he returned towards the canteen.

The brawl continued in the canteen, and thanks to Spencer and Chromis, the group managed to injure every Slithereen Guards on sight. "Today, we will escape from this hell, and we will get ourselves a name!" Spencer shouted towards eleven other inmates who joined the brawl, "How about the Dark Reef Dozen?"

"We, the Dark Reef Dozen will make our way out!" Chromis added.

The other Slithereen prisoners shouted in unison, and vowed to follow both strong Slithereen towards the escape route. Soon, Spencer swam out of the exit first, followed by eleven other Slithereen inmates, and last, Slark would eventually joined the dozen without being noticed by even one of them.

The Dark Reef Dozen made their way towards the main gate of Dark Reef prison, where they were planning to head against the two great white shark Slithereen Guards. "There is no hope to leave, this is your last chance to step away, or we will show no mercy," one of the guards taunted.

"Who the fuck cares," Spencer taunted back, "You took away our freedom, and it's our time to claim back." The others shouted in unison, agree every word from the Siamese fighting fish. Slark was the only one who didn't make a single voice; he was observing at behind instead, again without being exposed.

The great white shark Slithereen Guards nodded towards each other, before charging towards the dozen with their staffs on their hands – the only advantage they have at that point. As the two lead prisoners of the dozen, Spencer and Chromis held off against the guards, allowing the remaining ten inmates to open the gate. Their escape plan was ultimately a success, and the ten inmates made their way out while the remaining two was still fighting against the Guards.

Slark was now hiding right behind one of the visible boxes beside the gate, waiting for the right time to swim out. As he was about to make their way out, he could see a number of Slithereen Guards, seemed recovered from the brawl in the canteen, swimming towards the main gate.

"Don't let them escape!" Flint lead the guards and gave a solid order. Without further elaborations, the guards swam out, and Slark managed to curl himself right behind the boxes to avoid any detection from any guards. Bad news: Flint was the only guard who didn't follow, and he was watching the fight instead. Slark miscalculated the timing and had his head out.

"Hey, you!" Flint shouted, "I saw you, little fish! You better not run, or die!"

It was at this moment Slark knew: he fucked up. He reminded himself of bringing the shiv along, but fighting the Slithereen Guard alone was out of his option. With his quick-thinking skills, he opened the pouch and sprinkled the black dusts onto himself. Strangely, the dusts in the middle of sea water turned into a mist that covered Slark eventually. With his good sense of direction, Slark managed to swim out of the prison gate, leaving the infamous Dark Reef prison with just a slightly wounded fin.

"What the f-" Flint flinched, as he watched the mist getting away from his sight.

Slark was enjoying the piece of freedom when the dark mist began to fade away, but fortunately he had his father's skin as a disguise so it was still hard for any Slithereen Guards from Dark Reef to find him. Moments later, he approached a school of sharks and remained himself at the very end of the school.

Right now, he didn't care about the fate of the Dark Reef Dozen, but Slark had made his way out.

* * *

 **Sorry for the long wait! And thanks for writers who left reviews for this story! Stay tuned as next chapter may be the last chapter of the story, unless I have ideas to make some spinoffs :)**


	5. Chapter 5: Surfaced

**Chapter 5: Surfaced**

"Where… Where am I?"

Slark gently opened his eyes. The first thing he could sense was a ray of bright light. He quickly used one of his hands to shade himself, but soon he felt something odd.

He was quick enough to shade himself; he couldn't feel a drop of water.

The nightcrawler could feel some sand instead, with his other hand.

Sniffing the unusual atmosphere, Slark quickly sat up and took a look at his surroundings. Sands and sea were all he could see.

Sea? "Wait a minute… Am I in land or something?" Slark talked to himself, "And how did I-"

"You're on surface, Slark."

Slark heard someone talking to him. Well, not someone, but at least there's something, but the deep male voice comes from a waterspout. "You… You're talking to me?"

"They call me Morphling," the waterspout revealed its arms, eyes and mouth. Correction, that waterspout could be a "he" instead.

"Now, I'm getting confused right here. I remembered a few moments ago, I was swimming with the sharks," Slark said as he reached his father's skin he was wearing, "but, how did I end up here?"

"You're searching for a new life, but you're too tired to pursue."

"Too tired? Do you mean that… I slept halfway? No, fish never sleep while swimming!"

In fact, Slark did follow the sharks to avoid detection from the Slithereen Guards, but after an hour of swimming with the shoal of sharks, Slark decided to leave the shoal and headed upwards. As he was approaching the surface, the lights refracted into the sea and Slark closed his eyes in response, not getting used to something brighter than the bioluminescent street lights of the Deep Ones. Which means, Morphling thought Slark was tired, so he decided to push Slark towards the land, thanks to his ability to morph into any shapes or energy he desired.

"I see you with eyes closed, so I'm lending you a hand."

"Well, if you didn't show up, I wouldn't have any better idea to start my new life, other than the Deep Ones."

"You shall not return to the Deep Ones."

"Why?"

"The Slithereen Guards are looking for a fugitive, after 10 were killed beyond the gate of the Darf Reef. Two who defy rules and create chaos were executed to warn the residents of Dark Reef, that Dark Reef is their final home." The two he meant was Flint and Chromis.

"How- How did you know all those things? You're the son of Poseidon, aren't you?"

"I belong to no parents, but water is my mother. I travel and morph, but I am not the god. Not the best time to reunion with the singing Naga, but the message shall be delivered." Morphling continued.

"You mean Slithice, don't you? Tell her I'm safe on land. In case if she wants to find me, just meet me on… What's this place again?"

Just then, a muscular masked man walked towards the two creatures. "Shadeshore," the 6 ft man answered.

"Wait a minute, you ain't fish, are you?" Slark shifted his attention towards the man.

"Sven, the rogue knight, at your service. Welcome to Shadeshore." The knight was wearing the odd mask which has a pair of horns at both sides, and he was carrying a giant sword, around 10 times the size of Slark's shiv. And talking about the shiv, Sven noticed the shiv that Slark was carrying, "So, little fish, where did you get that from?"

"Uh… A prison?" Slark answered.

"Dark Reef is the exact name." Morphling made the answer even more specific.

"That's interesting, because the one you're holding is the Silver Edge. You could have turned yourself invincible. Rylai told me that." Sven explained.

"Man, I'm interested with you, mister… Seven? Sven, Sven, my bad," Slark then moved his attention towards the waterspout, "Hey Morph, just tell Naga where I am now and-"

"Your message has been blue-ticked."

"Well, that was quick!" Slark was surprised.

"Morphling is the water you can trust, pal." Sven walked towards Slark, "On some occasions, he can tell the stories about the Deep Ones, and then he started mentioning about a fish who managed to escaped the infamous Dark Reef. Come to think about it, we're sharing some similarities, don't we?"

"Well, I ate my father," Slark took off the skin he was wearing, "and these are the only legacy he has."

"That's not it, Slark. You inherited more than just that," Sven explained, "and thanks Morphling, I'll take care of this fish from now on."

Morphling nodded with affirmation, before disintegrating himself into the bed of sea.

"Well, I do hope this talking water will deliver the message," Slark folded the skin neatly before standing up, carrying the skin, "But, how did I smell something… I can't explain that!"

"If my memory serves me right, every Slithereen has two breathing mechanisms, and being on land means you can breathe and smell too!"

"Well, tell me more about the life on land, please!"

"My pleasure. And hey, let me help you to take care of this."

"This?" Slark handed in his father's skin to Sven.

"Preservation. Rylai knows how to do, and the skin will no longer rot."

Slark smiled at the larger male as Sven gave an idea to him, about how to preserve the memories between him and his father.

Slark soon found himself a new home, but the memories from the beginning of his life will be perished. For now, he had to avoid the sea as far as possible, because he was now labelled as a fugitive of the Dark Reef. Shadeshore is his new home, and he was planning to breed with Slithice once she could reach the surface. And of course, he built a new house eventually, with the help of strength from Sven, and some magic from Rylai the crystal maiden.

"She will be please if she sees this," Slark was standing tall in front of his new wooden house, which was being built directly on top of the sea surface. "I really hope she got the message, although I am not really sure if I can trust that water."

Just then, he felt something itchy, from one of his fins.

"Oughta take care of this fin rot."

 **~~THE END~~**

* * *

 **Alright, the story is officially complete, but sorry for the sloppy ending… And thanks to authors who left constructive reviews on my story. I have to be honest with you: I really need to work on grammar. Shame on me, hahahaha.**

 **Till then, see you in my next story!**


End file.
